Traveling bag



2 Sheets-Sheet l NI. DAMM TRAVEL ING BAG Filed May 21, 1954:LII-IBIpl,1||,|||||||||||||||||||||||||||1lWp.Wl||||||||||||||||||||||| o aga r n-f/ L u H 1 l [7@ n r /.|l\ Q Lo lNvENToR TTRNEYA5 M. DA MM TRAVELING BAG Filed May 2l, 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR N m m Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATESaurai-tt PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in traveling bags and theinvention has reference, more particularly, to traveling bags of theframeless luggage roll type.

Traveling bags of the frameless luggage roll type as heretofore in useordinarily comprise a substantially cylindrical body slit longitudinallybetween its ends, the margins of the slit opening being provided withcooperating slide fastener means for closing the opening provided by theslit. Bags of this type are not especially popular, largely because oithe diiculty of spreading the same open for packing and unpacking.Furthermore, bags of this type require double carrying handles, one oneither side of the opening slit, which handles are not only somewhatuncomfortable to the hand, but when the bag is open are likely to get inthe way when packing and unpacking the bag.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide .a bag of theluggage roll type which is constructed in such novel manner as to avoidthe above mentioned objections. With this object in view, the inventionprovides a novel construction oi frameless bag having a centrallongitudinally extending top cover section hinged at one side andseparably closed at the other side by slide fastener means, whereby,when the cover is released and swung back, a generous access opening ofuniform width extending substantially throughout the length of the bagbody is provided; and whereby a single unitary carrying handle may beattached to the bag centrallyof its top side.

y Another object of this invention is to provide, in a bag of the kinddescribed, means for releasably securing the ends of the cover sectionin overlapped relation of the bag body ends, thereby strengthening thebag and relieving the slide fastener means from the full strains andstresses incident to the support of the weight of the bag and itscontent, when the bag is packed and closed for carriage.

Another object of the invention is to provide guard elements at the endsof the bag body opening which prevent surreptitious or unauthorizedaccess to the bag interior endwise oi the cover section.

Other and detail objects of this invention, not at this time moreparticularly enumerated, will be understood from the following .detaileddescription of the same.

The illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in

' which:

Fig. l is a top plan View of the novel bag structure according to thisinvention, with its cover section closed and secured; Fig. 2 is asimilar view with the cover section released and swung back to openposition; Fig. 3 is an end 5 elevation of the novel bag structure; andFig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the bag, taken on line 44 in Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above describedViews, to indicate corresponding parts Referring to the drawings, thereference character IQ indicates the bag body, the same comprising asuitable usually flexible material, such e. g. as soft leather, shapedinto substantially cylindrical form, with itsv respective marginalportions ll and l2 disposed at the top side thereof in laterally spacedapart relation, so as to provide a longitudinally extending bag mouthopening I3. The end margins of said bag body Iii are gathered andsecured to the peripheries of end members I4, the latter beingpreferably reeniorced and stiffened by suitable stiifcning material (notshown) which is applied and secured thereto in any suitable mannerfamiliar to the industry. The bottom of the bag body is provided with aflattened bottom section I5, which extends throughout the lengththereof' between the end members I4, the same being suitably reenforcedby stiffening material I6 to give rigid- 30 ity thereto. Secured to thecorners of said bottom section I5 are metallic supporting nobs or footpieces I1. It will be observed that said rigid bottom section inconjunction with the supporting nobs or foot pieces I'I provides astable 35 support for the bag when the same is set down whereby the bagis prevented from rolling sidewise, and consequently the bag will standfirmly, both when closed as well as when opened for packing orunpacking.

Hingedly connected with a longitudinal marginal portion of the bag body,as e. g. the marginal portion II, to extend along one side of the bagmouth opening I3, is a cover section I8, which preferably comprises adouble thickness of comparatively stiff leather, although the same maybe otherwise formed and constructed of leather or any other suitablematerial. The hinge connection whereby said cover section is attached tothe bag body, so as to be capable of being swung to either open orclosed position relative to the bag mouth opening I3, may be variouslyconstructed. Illustrative of one method of producing a practical form ofsuch hinge connection, the drawings show a welt seam connection I9,

` fastener elements which is further covered on the inner side thereofwith a reenforcing strip 22 which overlies and straddles the same. Bythis arrangement a strong and durable pivotal connection or continuoushinge-like formation extends along the major portion of the coversection substantially coextensive with the length of the bag mouthopening i3, so as to provide a fulcrum point about which said coversection may be turned to dispose the same, at will, in either closed oropen relation to said bag mouth opening. Said cover section is of anoverall length exceeding the length of the bag body i9, so as to provideat its respective ends freely movable lappet portions 2|, which, whenthe cover section is closed, can be bent around the ends of the bag bodyto exteriorly overlap the end members l-l thereof. Secured to saidlappet portions ZI are female fastener elements 22 to cooperate withmale which are affixed to said end members icl; said fastener elementsbeing preferably of the snap fastener type. When the cover section isclosed and said lappet portions 2i turned over and secured by thefastener elements to the end members It of the bag body, a weatherproofclosure of the ends of the bag mouth opening i3 is assured, andadditionally a better distribution of the weight of the bag and itscontent, when carried by a handle with which the cover section isprovided is assured, whereby slide fastener means utilized to secure thecover section in closed position (as will subsequently be moreparticularly described) will largely relieved from the stresses andstrains to which they would otherwise be subjected, and consequentlyrisk of tearing of the supporting tapes of said slide fastener means orother injury thereto is substantially eliminated.

In order to centrally and longitudinally reenforce the cover section I8for the attachment and support in connection therewith of a carryinghandle for the bag, a reenforcing bar of metal or any other desiredsubstantially rigid material is imbedded in the cover section, as e. g.by inserting the same between the plys of the latter, and then furthersecuring the plys against separation by stitching extending around themargins of said bar. Riveted through the cover section and saidreenforcing bar are any suitably formed handle bearing members 23 towhich the eyes 2l of the ends of a single carrying handle member 23 arepivotally connected.

The means for securing the cover section I8 in closed relation to thebag mouth I3 is preferably in the form of slide fastener devices, andcornprises one strip or tape 2! having fastener elements along its freeedge, said strip or tape 29 being secured to the marginal portion i2 ofthe bag body IG to extend longitudinally along one side of said mouthopening i3, and another strip or tape 3I having fastener elements 32along its free edge, said strip or tape 3l being secured to the freelongitudinal marginal portions of the cover section I8. Vleans areprovided in connection with said strips or tapes for separably securingor interlocking together corresponding ends of the same, preparatory toactuating the slide member 33 which functions to join the cooperatingfastener elements '3e-32. rihis means comprises, on the one hand, alongitudinal flexible terminal tongue 35': which is secured to and whichfreely projects from the bag body parallel to an end portion of the tapeor strip 29, and to which said tape or strip end portion is secured; andon the other hand, further comprises a similar longitudinal flexibleterminal tongue 35 which is secured to and which freely projects fromthe cover section parallel to a corresponding end portion of the tape orstrip 3l, and to which the latter is secured. Mounted on the free marginof the end portion of the tape or strip 29, which is thus supported bythe terminal tongue 34, is a coupler member which includes alongitudinally disposed outwardly directed male coupling pin 3S. Mountedon the free margin of the end portion of the tape or strip 35, which issupported by the terminal tongue is a coupler member which includes alongtudinally disposed female coupling socket or tube El? into whichsaid male coupling pin 36 may be slidably entered; the latter couplermember is also provided at its outer end with a stop projection 38 tocooperatively position said male and female parts of the coupler membersin operative interlocked relation, so as to bring the sets of fastener'elements .3Q-"2 of the respective tapes or strips '2S- 3i in properlyopposed relation one to the other subject to engagement anddisengagement kby the manipulation of the slide member 33.

When the cover-section I 8 is closed and secured by the engagement ofslide fastener means, to release the cover section for opening movement,the slide member 33 is drawn along the fastener elements Sil-32 fromright to left (when the slide fastener means is arranged as shown in thedrawings), thereby disengaging said fastener elements 35i-32. When theslide member reaches the left end of its travel, the male coupling pin35, by manipulation of the flexible terminal tongues 341-35, may bewithdrawn from the female coupling socket or tube 3l, and thence throughthe slide member 33, thus freeing the terminal ends of the tapes orstrips 29-3I one from the other, to thereby wholly release the freelongitudinal margin of the cover-section I8, .1 y

so that, upon release of the lappet portions ZI o'f the cover section,the latter may be swung back to open position thus uncovering the bagmouth opening I3 (see Figs. 2 and 4). The bag interior may now beconveniently packed or unpacked through the generous full andsubstantially rectangular opening of the exposed bag mouth.

When it is desired to again close the bag, the cover section is swung toclosed position over the bag mouth, and its lappet portions 2| securedin overlapped relation to the bag ends I4, whereupon by manipulation ofthe terminal tongues 34E-5, the male coupling pin 35 is inserted throughthe slide member 33, and then entered in the female coupling socket ortube 3l until stopped against the stop projection 38, thus uniting andinterlocking the ends of the tapes or strips 29-3I together. After thusuniting the separable ends of said tapes or strips, the slide member 33is drawn from left to right to thereby interengage the fastener elements39-32.

Means may be provided for securing the slide member 33 againstunauthorized manipulation for opening the bag. In one form, this meansmay comprise a perforate lug or ring 39 affixed to the outer face of theslide member 33. The pull-piece 46, which is pivotally connected withthe forward end of the slide member 33, is provided with slot 4I,whereby, when the slide member is positioned at the end of its fastenerengaging movement, said pull-piece may be swung over the lug or ring 39,so that the latter projects through the slot 4I thereof, whereupon apad-lock 42 may have its hasp 43 passed through said lug or ring 39 andlocked, thereby to secure the slide member 33 against unauthorizedmanipulation. The pad-lock 42 is preferably secured to the bag body l bymeans of a vchain 44, or other suitable flexible connection which is inturn aiixed to said bag body I0 by an anchorring 45 with which thelatter is provided.

In order to prevent surreptitious access to the interior of the packedbag, when the same is closed in the manner above described, by releasingthe end members i4 of the cover-section IS, and then attempting toinsert a hand thereunder and into the bag interior, guard elements 455,in the form of flexible portions of leather or like material, arestitched to the bag body l!) and the end members I4 thereof, to extendendwise and inwardly over the bag mouth portion i3 to under-lie thecover section I8, when the latter is closed. These guard elements alsoaid in effecting the desired weather-proof closure of the bag at theends of the cover-section.

I am aware that various changes could be made in the above describedconstructions, and many apparently widely different embodiments of thisinvention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, asdefined in the following claims. It is therefore intended that allmatter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanyingdrawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

Having thus described this invention, I claim:

l. A frameless luggage roll, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyhaving closed ends and provided at its top side with a substantiallyrectangular mouth opening, a cover section hingedly connected to onelongitudinal margin of said mouth opening, said cover section being of alength exceeding the length of the body and terminating in freelyprojecting lappet portions at its ends adapted to be respectively bentaround into overlapping relation to and upon the exterior faces of saidbag ends when the cover section is closed, releasable fastening meansfor securing said lappet portions to said bag ends, separablecooperative slide fastener means connected with the oppositelongitudinal margin of said mouth opening and with the free longitudinalmargin of said cover section, a substantially rigid reenforcing barsecured to said cover section in central longitudinal relation thereto,and

a single carrying handle secured to said cover section and reenforcingbar.

2. A frameless luggage roll, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyhaving closed ends and provided at its top side with a substantiallyrectangular longitudinal mouth opening, a cover section hingedlyconnected to one longitudinal margin of said mouth opening, said coversection being of a length exceeding the length of the body andterminating in freely and endwise projecting lappet portions adapted tobe respectively bent around into overlapping relation to and upon theexterior faces of the bag ends when the cover section is closed,releasable fastening means for securing said lappet portions to said bagends, interior guard members secured to the bag end portions for inwardextension therefrom at the respective ends of the mouth opening, andseparable cooperative slide fastener means connected with the oppositelongitudinal margin of said mouth opening and with the free longitudinalmargin of said cover section.

3. A frameless luggage roll, comprising a substantially cylindrical bodyhaving closed ends and provided at its top side with a substantiallyrectangular longitudinal mouth opening, a cover section hingedlyconnected to one longitudinal margin of said mouth opening, said coversection being of a length exceeding the length of the body andterminating in freely and endwise projecting lappet portions adapted tobe respectively bent around into over-lapping relation to and upon theexterior faces of the bag ends when the cover section is closed,releasable fastening means for securing said lappet portions to said bagends, interior guard members secured to the bag end portions for inwardextension therefrom at the respective ends of the mouth opening,separable cooperative slide fastener means connected with the oppositelongitudinal margin of said mouth opening and with the free longitudinalmargin of said cover section, a substantially rigid reenforcing barsecured to said cover section in central longitudinal relation thereto,and a single carrying handle secured to said cover section andreenforcing bar.

MAX DAMM.

